Low ticket sales force Louisville's Alley Theater to close

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A downtown Louisville community theater will close its doors on Aug. 1.

According to a news release, The Alley Theater, located at 633 West Main Street, is closing because of low ticket sales.

"The reasons for this decision are purely financial," said Joey Arena, artistic director at the theater, in a statement. "We simply aren't selling enough tickets to pay our bills these days, and the couple of us that have supplemented the bottom line with our own money over the years simply can't justify it anymore. Like many local theater companies, we've received neither any arts grant money, nor corporate sponsorship. And since theater event listings in the local newspapers and weeklies have disappeared over the last few years, getting the word out hasn't been affordable for a smaller theater. Money and exposure are what keep an arts organization alive in the long run. And we have had a wonderfully long run indeed."

The theater will close before its 2018 season is completed, but patrons still have time to purchase tickets for its last two productions. They include "Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens," opening in June, and "Star Trek: Boldly Going WAY Too Far: The Final Frontier," an original parody by The Alley Theater that will open in July.